Closure.



PATENTED DEC. 22, 1903.

E. E. CHAPMAN,

CLOSURE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5, 1902. RENEWED Mugs. 190a.

' no MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented December 22, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

EARLE E. CHAPMAN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE STANDARDBOTTLE CLOSURE COMPANY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALI- FORNIA, A CORPORATION OFCALIFORNIA.

CLOSURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 747,373, dated December22, 1903.

Application filed August 5, 1902. Renewed May 13, 1903. Serial No.157,023. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARLE E. CHAPMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and useful Closure, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to means for preventing the fraudulent refillingof vessels, and particularly to closures for bottles, jugs, jars, andlike vessels; and some of the objects of the invention are to provide aclosure of this general character which is simple and cheap inconstruction and at the same time positive and eifective in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a closure which can beeasily and quickly forced down upon the neck of a vessel, where it willbe automatically secured in position, and from which it can only beremoved by being rotated thereon until the engaging portion shall havebeen disconnected.

A further object of the invention is to provide a closure which afterhaving been once secured in position and then removed can only be usedas a temporary cover while the vessel is in a vertical position-that.is,the closure will have been so efiected by the first removal as to bethereafter forever useless for its original purpose.

Furthermore, an object of this invention is to prevent the use of anordinary cork after the vessel shall have been once closed and thenopened and to require a new closure of a peculiar construction wheneverthe vessel is to be refilled by the party originally filling the same.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists,essentially, in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts,substantially as more fully described in the following specification andas illustratedin the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisapplication, in which "Figurel is a longitudinal central sectional viewof a portion of a vessel embodying one form of the invention, showingthe closure in position thereon. Fig. 2 is a similar View of a portionof a vessel with the closure removed.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the closure, illustrating the engagingportions or fingers. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a neck of the vessel.Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a modified form ofconstruction. Fig. 6 illustrates a modified construction from that shownin Fig. 2 of the drawings. Fig. 7 shows a modification of the closureillustrated in Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is adetail view of the blank carrying theengaging portions or fingers, and

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the neck of the vessel illustrated in Fig.6.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to the constructionillustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 thereof, the reference character 1designates a portion of a neck of a vessel, which may be of any form andconstruction, as this invention is not limited to use with anyparticular character of vessels or receptacles. The exterior of the neckof the vessel is preferably cut away at predetermined points to formrecesses or notches 2, desirably having inclined bottoms,substantiallyas illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and formed on orconnected with the neck of the vessel are preferably a plurality ofguiding or directing lugs or projections 3. The interior of the neck ofthe vessel is preferably provided with a plurality of extensions 4 toprevent the introduction and retention of a cork within the neck of avessel after the closure shall have been removed therefrom. Thus thevessel will be rendered useless for ordinary purposes until a newclosure shall have been provided.

Theclosure illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3 preferably embodies a metalliccap or cover 5, although the closure will be constructed of any suitablematerial that may be found desirable in practice, and the cap or cover 5is desirably provided with an annular internal rim or flange 6,preferably cut away, as at 7, to permit the closure passing intoposition over the guiding-lugs 3 on the neck of the vessel, and formedon or connected with the flange 6 are breakable projections or fingers8, constructed to enter the recesses 2 in the vessel-neck and to beretained therein by their own inherent resiliency and when therein toprevent the removal of the cap or cover 5 by any force or pull exertedin the line with the longitudinal axis of the vessel-neck.

The guiding-lugs 3 on the vesselneck enter the cut-away portions in therim of the closure when the latter is forced down into position upon thevessel-neck, and thus direct the expausible and breakable projections orfingers 8 into the recesses 2 in the neck of the vessel, where they areretained until the closure is removed by being twisted upon the neck ofthe vessel until the projections or fingers 8 are broken from the flange6 at the point of connection therewith, which is the weakest point ofthe projections, as shown at 9 in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

Referringnow to Figs. 5 to 9 of the drawings, there is illustrated avessel having a neck 1, provided with guiding-lugs 3, and with anannular internal groove 10, divided by a plurality of internalextensions 4 to prevent the introduction of a cork or other deviceintothe neck of the vessel; but. in this construction it will be seen thatthe lugs or projections 3 and the extensions 4 are arranged in irregularorder, so that a closure of a particular construction will be requiredto fit upon the neck of the vessel.

The closure illustrated in Figs. 5and 7 may be formed of glass or otherlike material, and preferably embodies a cap or cover 11, having adepending annular flange l2, desirably cut away internally to form anannular internal recess or chamber 13, and the flange 12 is preferablyconstructed with an inwardlydirecting annular rim or edge 14, havingcutaway portions 7 to receive the guiding or directing lugs 3 on thevessel-neck, substantially as before explained. The cap or cover 11 ispreferably provided with a depending central projection 15, to which issecured a disk or plate 16, having a central extension 17, secured insaid projection in any suitable manner, and the plate or disk 16 ispreferably provided with peripheral recesses 18 to receive the internalextensions 4 upon the vessel-neck when the closure is being forced intoposition thereupon, while expansible and breakable projections orfingers 8 are formed on or connected with the disk or plate 16,substantially asillustrated in Figs. 5, 7, and 8 of the drawings, andare constructed to enter the groove 10 and be broken oif by the internalextensions 4 on the vessel-neck, substantially as before stated.

The operation of thisinvention will be readily understood from theforegoing description when taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings and the following explanation thereof.

After the vessel has been filled with the desired liquid the closure isplaced thereon and moved around thereon until the cut-away portions ofthe closure register with the guiding-lugs on the vessel-neck, whereuponthe closure is then forced down upon the neck of the vessel until theexpansible and breakable projections or fingers enter the recesses inthe vessel-neck, when the closure will be securely retained in positionand cannot be removed without breaking the projections or fingers, whichclearly indicates that the vessel has been opened and renders theclosure thereafter forever useless for practical purposes, as it canonly then merely rest upon and loosely inclose the neck of the vesselwhile the latter is in a vertical position.

If found desirable in practice, a disk or section of cork or packing 19may be placed within the cap or cover 5 and a ring 20 of such materialmay be located within the cap or cover 11 to insure a tight joint orconnection between the closure and the orifices of the vessel-neck.

When it is desired to remove the closure from the neck of the vessel, itis only necessary to twist or rotate the former upon the latter, therebybreaking off and disengaging the projections or fingers from theclosure, whereupon the latter can be removed, when the cutaway portionsof the closure are brought into registering position with the lugs orprojections 3, as in the first instance.

It is not desired to confine this invention to the specificconstruction, combination, and arrangement of parts herein shown anddescribed, and the right is reserved to make all such changes in andmodifications of the same as come within the spirit and scope of thisinvention.

I claim- 1. The combination with a vessel havinga recessed neck andhaving external guidinglugs and internal extensionsto prevent theintroduction of the stopper and a cap or cover cut away to receive saidlugs and having breakable projections to engage the recesses in thevessel to retain the cap or cover in position thereon and to be broken0E in said recesses by the rotation of the cap or cover upon thevessel-neck.

2. The combination with a vessel having a recessed neck and a devicehaving fan-shape breakable projections constructed to engage said neckand to be broken oflf in said recesses by the rotation of said device.

3. The combination with a vessel having a recessed neck, a cap or coverhaving a central projection carrying breakable projections constructedto enter said recesses and to be broken ofif therein by the rotation ofthe cap or cover.

4. The combination with a vessel having a recessed neck, and a cap orcover having a central projection and an annular flange and a plate ordisk carrying breakable projections and secured to said projection, saidprojections engaging and being broken ofi in said recesses by therotation of the cap or cover.

5. The combination with a vessel having a recessed neck, a cap or coverhaving an annular flange and a central projection and a disk having acentral extension to engage said projection and having peripheralengaging projections to be broken ofi in said recesses by the rotationof said cap or cover.

6. The combination with a vessel having a neck constructed with internalrecesses and external guiding-lugs, a cap or cover having an annularrecessed flange cut away at the edges thereof to receive said lugs andhaving a central projection and a disk having a central extension toengage said projection and having breakable projections to engage and bebroken 0% in said recesses by the rotation of said cap.

7. The combination with a vessel having a neck constructed with internalrecesses and external guiding-lugs and having means to prevent theinsertion of the stopper, a cap or cover having an annular recessedflange cut away at the edge thereof to receive said lugs and having acentral projection and a disk having connection with said projection andcut away to receive said means, said disk having breakable projectionsto engage said recesses and to be broken off therein by the rotation ofthecap.

8. The combination with a vessel having a recessed neck and havingextensions to prevent the introduction of the stopper and a cap or coverhaving breakable portions constructed to engage said recesses when saiddevice is forced into position and to be broken off in said recesseswhen the cap or cover is removed by being twisted or rotated upon thevessel. I

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses. I

' EARLE E. CHAPMAN. Witnesses:

O. W. HOLLISTER, L. B. ALDERETE.

